North County Incorporated Honors Community Leaders Making a Difference in North St. Louis County

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As part of the organization’s 37th Annual Breakfast celebration, North County Incorporated (NCI) recognized several area leaders for making a significant positive impact in North County. At a sold out event on Friday, May 16th, 2014 more than 600 business, civic, and community leaders gathered to honor this year’s award recipients.

Patty Gould received the prestigious Elmer Belsha Leadership Award. This award is presented annually to an individual who has made a long-term commitment to NCI and North County, and has had a positive impact on the community and/or public body that they serve.

Employed by Pattonville School District, Gould is currently the Director of School-Business Partnerships. Her responsibilities include forming relationships in the community and keeping businesses informed and involved in the school. Recently her role has grown to take on the crucial role of better preparing students for life in college or a career. As a volunteer, she has been NCI’s School Business Partnership Liaison and has served on our Board of Directors since 2001, joining the Executive Board in 2007, where she served as Secretary, Vice-Chair and in 2011 as Board Chair.

Her leadership and problem-solving skills have been beneficial to NCI and many other community organizations throughout the past two decades helping these groups grow and serve the North County region. Her volunteer service includes: the Northwest Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and education committee, serving twice as Board Chair for the Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce and Chairing their education committee. She was recognized by the Maryland Height Chamber of Commerce as Volunteer of the Year Award in 2011. She is also active on the St. Louis County Workforce Development’s Youth Council Committee and the Bridgeton Parks and Recreation Board. Pattonville School District is a member of NCI.

NCI’s Business Development Award is presented to those whose efforts have positively affected the economic development and business climate of the North County area. This award was given to Charter Communications.

Charter Communication’s new Customer Care Center in the North St. Louis County community of Bridgeton showcases the company’s commitment in the St. Louis community through financial and human resource investment by bringing more jobs in-house, reinforcing efforts to lessen its reliance on service partners. This facility represents Charter’s latest major investment in the tools, technology and people. They have renovated a 78,000-plus square foot vacant building to create a $12 million state-of-the-art facility. This facility, formerly the old Western Union building, had sat delinquent for the past five years. It is located in Earth City near the intersection of I-270 and I-70. They plan to employ a total of 400 people at this location by the end of the year. The facility can accommodate up to 800 employees.

NCI’s Community Development Awards are presented to those whose efforts positively benefit youth, residents, civic organizations, or others through selfless acts. Hazelwood School District and Scott Negwer, CEO of Negwer Materials were chosen for this award.

Hazelwood School District (HSD) showed true leadership in the face of trying times when a tornado struck the North County region in 2013 and the devastation left behind by the storm included extensive damage to many homes and businesses in the Hazelwood School District, as well as, the District itself. In the aftermath, came true evidence of the strength of North County’s residents, civic and community leaders, as well as, HSD’s leadership, who quickly formed teams to assist those in need.

Under the leadership of Superintendent, Dr. Grayling Tobias, the amazing staff of HSD served this community in whatever manner was necessary to try and make a difference in the lives of those who were affected. They formed outreach events, organized donation drives and went door to door in area neighborhoods to check on the welfare of others, providing much needed resources. An important outcome was the development of a comprehensive response disaster plan for the district in regards to community outreach. A plan, that if the need arises in the future, can serve as a tool for HSD and other school districts in the future. Hazelwood School District is a member of North County Incorporated.

Scott Negwer, Negwer Materials has been generous with his time and talents over the years. He has created an environment of strength and leadership through volunteerism and support for this community. He has sat on the boards of Atonement Lutheran Church in Florissant, Atonement Lutheran School, and Lutheran High School (where he and his 4 children graduated), and NCI, where he served from 2001-2004. When NCI moved into its new offices in Village Square it was Negwer Materials that kindly donated nearly all of the office furnishings for the new space.

Negwer Materials has been in operation in Ferguson since 1927 and operates a total of 10 lumber yards regionally. They have had a strong presence in the North St. Louis county area for many years. He and his family are life-long residents of North County and continue to support this community in so many ways. Negwer Materials is a member of North County Incorporated.

Public Service Awards are presented to outstanding individuals, elected, appointed, or employed by a public body whose long-time service has had a positive impact on the community and/or public body they serve. Jerry Dunn, Ph.D., Executive Director of Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis; Lieutenant Jeffrey Fuesting, Commander of St. Louis County Police Department, Jennings Precinct; Mayor Norman C. McCourt, Mayor, City of Black Jack; and Marcia Pfeiffer, Ph.D., President of St. Louis Community College – Florissant Valley were this year’s Public Service Award recipients.

Jerry Dunn, Ph.D. oversees the clinical, forensic, research and training activities for the agency. Under her leadership, the agency annually conducts more than 500 forensic interviews for child abuse investigations and more than 5,000 counseling sessions for survivors of childhood trauma and maltreatment. She has been with the Center since 2005 and an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis since 2009. She has also served as the Director of the Missouri Academy for Child Trauma Studies since 09’.

Dunn’s passion for serving children and families of abuse is also evident in her volunteerism with many local and national organizations. She serves on the Advisory Council for the St. Louis Family and Community Partnership and works with the Leadership Team for the St. Louis Family Justice Center. She also holds a seat on the Board of Directors for Missouri KidsFirst and is the agency liaison to the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network. University of Missouri-St. Louis is a member of North County Inc.

Lieutenant Jeffrey Fuesting started his career in 1994 as a patrol officer with the St. Louis Police Department and joined the St. Louis County Police Department in 1997. In 2010, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and later that year assigned to the City of Jennings as the Commander overseeing the daily operations.

Under Fuesting’s supervision the officers assigned to Jennings have made great strides in improving the quality of life for local residents. Hotspot policing has reduced crime 37.8% since 2011. Burglaries are at the lowest level since 2005. There has been a significant improvement in citizen participation in neighborhood watch meetings and community programs. The precinct also started the “Coffee with the Commander” program and recently graduated 7 teens from their Teen Leadership Academy. Through collaboration with local clergy, the Jennings School District, United Way and others they started the non-profit organization, St. Louis Initiative to Reduce Violence. During his career he has received over 55 awards, commendations and letters of appreciation, including six commendations from the Chief of Police. The City of Jennings and St. Louis County are members of North County Incorporated.

Mayor Norman C. McCourt has served the citizens of the City of Black Jack and North County for more than thirty years. He has been The City of Black Jack’s Mayor for the last fifteen years and before that was a City Councilman for sixteen years. McCourt has also served the City as Director of Emergency Management and sat on Black Jack’s Planning and Zoning Board, along with several other city commissions and committees.

His dedication to North County extends far beyond the city limits of Black Jack. He is a past President of the Missouri Municipal League and has served on the Executive Board for the past seven years. He also sits on the board for the St. Louis County Municipal League and has been a member of NCI’s Board of Directors since 2007, serving on our Executive Board from 2007’ to 2012’. City of Black Jack is a member of NCI.

Marcia Pfeiffer, Ph.D. was named president of St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley in 2002. She joined the College in 1980 and throughout her career with the College has been an instructor of Dietetic Technology, chair of the Home Economics Department, the district’s Tech Prep coordinator, and was named associate dean of their business and human development division before her appointment as campus executive dean and then President.

Under Pfeiffer’s leadership, the Emerson Center for Engineering and Manufacturing was constructed and opened, a former big box retail store was renovated and put to reuse as the campuses Workforce Innovation Center, and the Florissant Valley campus was selected for the Gateway to College replication project. Through her commitment to incorporating communication into her strategic thinking and daily operations, Pfeiffer has successfully positioned the College at the forefront of local and national initiatives, including life sciences, manufacturing technology and deaf communication studies.

She has been active on the North County Inc.’s Board of Directors since 2010 and our Executive Board since 2012. Marcia’s 34 years of community volunteerism, dedicated service in education, and her commitment to position the College to provide the type of workforce needed today and in the future, is why she was chosen for this recognition. Florissant Valley is a member of NCI.

Special Recognition Awards are presented to outstanding individuals who through their business and volunteer services exemplify leadership and service to the North County community, are dedicated to helping others, and improving the business environment and/or lives of those they serve. Brian Goldman, President of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce and Veronica Morrow-Reel, Community Development Asst. with Citizen’s National Bank are this year’s recipients.

Brian Goldman has been the President of the Northwest Chamber since 2012, before that he was an area business owner, he had joined the chamber in 1999, was on their Board of Directors for 9 years, and served as Board Chair.

He has been an active part of the North St. Louis County community for more than 15 years. His community and civic involvement includes leadership roles with several local organizations and charities. He served on the Board of the Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce for six years and currently serves on the Board of Directors for North County Inc., Edward Jones YMCA, Kalros Foundation and 1904 World’s Fair Charitable Foundation.

Goldman has been honored by both the Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Chamber of Commerce as their Businessperson of the Year and was an NCI 30 Leader in their Thirties honoree in 2007. Northwest Chamber of Commerce is a member of NCI.

Veronica Morrow-Reel has a passion for human service and civic involvement; she is deeply-rooted in the North County Area. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Riverview Gardens School District Special Administrative Board and sits on the Special School District’s Governing Council and Equity Taskforce. She is also a member of both the District’s and SSD’s Parent Advisory Councils.

Veronica served on the Board of Aldermen for the City of Dellwood has been their City Collector. She was a member of the Community Development committee, Planning and Zoning board and their TIF commission. She is currently involved with sustainability initiatives with East-West Gateway Council of Governments, as well as, the American Cancer Society, Autism Awareness and she teaches financial literacy and educational planning. Citizen’s National Bank and Riverview Gardens School District are both members of NCI.